1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system of electronic reprographics and, more particularly, to a system of electronic reprographics in which the locations of scanned images are shifted to obtain a desired output.
2. Description of the Related Art
In light lens printing systems, a lamp or flashing unit flashes light on a document and has a reflected image created synchronously on a photoreceptor belt. The photoreceptor belt picks up toner from which a copy is made. Image relocation and/or reorder is not possible since the reflected image is immediately transferred onto the photoreceptor and fused onto a sheet of paper.
The generation of a one-sided (simplex) cover sheet on a two-sided (duplex) page using a light lens printing system requires the dropping off of an image from the backside of the cover page. This comprises not flashing the backside of the first original so that a blank is left on the page. The backside image is automatically deleted without the consent of the user and can therefore result in the loss of important data.
The generation of duplex output from simplex input using the recirculating document handler of a light lens printing system can be very time consuming. The documents must be circulated a first time for counting purposes and a second time for image scanning purposes. The first circulation is necessary because of the difference in output structure of an odd versus an even number of originals. When an even number of originals are counted, no output pages will be blank. When an odd number of originals is counted, the backside of the last page of the job will be blank. The dual circulation takes an extremely long amount of time, particularly when jobs with a large number of originals are circulated.
The generation of a scan job in a light lens printing system is completed when the system cycles down. Sets of documents which may be scanned at different times cannot be combined unless a simplex-to-simplex arrangement is desired. It is otherwise likely that gaps will occur between the sets of documents.
By contrast, in electronic reprographic printing systems, a document or series of documents comprising at least one print job are successively scanned. Upon scanning of the documents, image signals are obtained and electronically stored. The signals are then read out successively and transferred to a printer for formation of the images on paper. Once a document is scanned, it can be printed any number of times or processed in any number of ways (e.g., words deleted or added, image magnified or reduced, etc.). If a plurality of documents comprise a job which is scanned, the processing or manipulation of the scanned documents can include deletion of one or more documents, reordering of the documents into a desired order, or addition of a previously or subsequently scanned document or documents. The printing or processing can be relatively synchronous with scanning, or asynchronous after scanning. If asynchronous, a time interval exists between scanning and printing or processing. The system can then accumulate a number of scanned jobs in the system memory for subsequent processing or printing. The order of the jobs to be printed may be different from the order of jobs as scanned depending on the priority of the jobs and the desires of the operator for increasing productivity or through-put and decreasing printer or scanner downtime.
Printing systems have been described which provide adjustments prior to formation of a copy sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,908 to Buch discloses a programmed display for use with a printer. The display can be adjusted by an operator without requiring the formation of a proof copy. The adjustments which can be performed include input of margin size information, adjustment of viewable delineation between an image area and a margin area on the display and adjustment of the timing of a flash exposure of a document on a photoconductor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,864 to Stakenborg et al discloses a reproduction device for making simplex or duplex copies. The control unit of the device receives data concerning margin width of the original to be reproduced and of the copies to be produced.
While the above-described systems provide adjustments prior to formation of copy sheets, they do not enable relocation and manipulation of images stored in memory.
It would thus be desirable to provide an electronic reprographic printing system with the capability to automatically relocate images stored in memory in accordance with the type of output desired.